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Friday, April 5, 2013

Neighborhood Watch tips & meeting reminder [Apr 24]

Meeting Reminder

Neighborhood Watch Info MeetingWed, April 24, 7pm – 8pmNorth Decatur Presbyterian Church. 611 Medlock Rd. (map)Description: This is a joint meeting hosted by The Pine Glen, Laurel Ridge, Medlock, Country Squire, and Evergreen Forest Neighborhoods but open to the community at large. Major Tracy is the new head of our police precinct, central precinct, in the DeKalb Police Department.

1. Vans have been driving around their neighborhood with magnets for businesses such as Comcast, but were actually breaking into homes. Don't assume that magnets on vans/trucks mean that the business is legit or should even be at that address and please do not hesitate to call 911 if you see a van/truck with a magnet in a neighbor's home who is not home and is not usual.

2. Please be comfortable about calling 911. Calls are routed to in the order of priority, so emergencies are going to be handled first. An officer may not come out right away, but placing the call could prevent a crime. Since most of our crimes are happening during the day and we've had more patrols in our area, the police are more likely to come.

3. Please take photos of jewelry, serial numbers of electronics and the electronic items themselves. These photos will be helpful in getting your items back if your home is burglarized and they are taken. Pawn shops give the police items that they take in including serial numbers, and one burglary victim had their lap top returned after a recent burglary because they knew the serial number. Photos of jewelry items will help identify your jewelry if it is pawned. They heavily stressed that this is the key to getting items returned if your home is burglarized.
4. Jewelry is being taken to the stores buying gold for quick cash. These places keep jewelry for a few days before it goes to be melted, so having those items with photos are more likely to be recovered.

5. There is an ATM at Northlake Mall that is called ECO. It is where thieves take cell phones that they have stolen and are able to get quick cash. It's difficult to get phones taken here back, because serial numbers have to be put in the machine and often they are entered incorrectly.

6. Please do not think the jewelry that you are storing in the fridge or freezer in a jewelry box is safe. Several burglars have gone through the fridge and freezer looking for jewelry.

7. When you call 911 about suspicious activity try and give them as much information as you can: vehicle tag number, make, model, color, physical description-hair color, clothes, skin color, facial hair, anything that stands out in your mind. Please don't be afraid to call, and call right away, so that they can come out and check it out. We have police officers in our area currently, and we need to use them.

8. Put the bikes, lawn equipment, and anything valuable in your carport that you don't want stolen away out of site. You are just inviting someone to come and take it.

9. Walmart and Target carry different devices that have alarm like sounds for when doors and windows are opened. They also had a pin/screw like device that can easily be installed that will not allow windows to be raised. Look into these devices if you do not have a home alarm. They also had a device that detected glass breakage. From experience glass breakage devices don't work well if you have a dog that barks, as the dog barks can set them off.

10. If you have a home alarm use it!!!!!!!

11. Post a no solicitation sign by your front door.

12. Call 911 if people are going door to door, as they may not be doing what they are saying they are, but checking to see if people are home and trying to get a better feel of your home to break in later on, or try and scam you at the time. Don't even open your door to find out what they want, as they may be stronger than you and able to over power you to get in.

13. Prune back hedges and bushes, especially from side and back doors, as this seems to be the way the burglars are entering our homes.

14. Get a beware of dog sign even if you don't have a dog.

Please don't forget about the meeting on Wednesday April 24, at 7pm at North Decatur Presbyterian Church.

Thanks for staying vigilant and for calling 911 when you see anything suspicious!!